Background: This study was designed to introduce free toe soft tissue transfer using local infiltration anesthesia in patients not suitable for general anesthesia and local tissue coverage.
Methods: From January 2006 to August 2012, a total of 11 traumatic fingertip defects were reconstructed by toe soft tissue transfer. All procedures except 1 were done as primary reconstructions, with either the lateral side of the great toe (5 cases) or the medial side of the second toe (6 cases) used as a donor. Postoperative follow-up periods were between 8 months to 2 years and 6 months.
Results: Flap sizes varied from 1.0 × 2.0 to 2.0 × 3.5 cm. The mean operative times were 4 hours 29 minutes for cases done by a single team and 3 hours 21 minutes for cases done by a 2-team approach. Approximately 5.8 mL of local anesthetic agent was used in each finger and 5.9 mL was used in the toes for a total of 11.7 mL. All flaps survived and were fully taken without complications, except 1 case that presented partial necrosis.
Conclusions: Fingertip soft tissue reconstruction by free toe tissue transfer under local anesthesia uses a more limited operative field, with a shorter operative time, enabling reconstruction in patients not suitable for general anesthesia. This is even more so with a microsurgical 2-team approach, which reduces the volume of anesthetic agent needed, making this method a sufficiently realistic option for fingertip soft tissue reconstruction.